


Identity Crisis Averted

by friendofspiderman



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, Awesome Michelle Jones, BAMF Michelle Jones, F/M, Family, Identity Reveal, Love, Original Character(s), Peter Parker is a Mess, Post-Spider-Man: Far From Home, Protective Michelle Jones, Secret Identity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-16 06:56:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28577871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/friendofspiderman/pseuds/friendofspiderman
Summary: “You good?”“Yeah,” he lies, “I just—you have excuses for me that are just—ready to use?”“Well, yeah, of course,” MJ replies, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “Different excuses or explanations for different situations and different people.” She pauses. “Don’t you?”He doesn’t, but he’s sure she’s figured that herself by now. “I guess I’d just never thought to have them ready to go like that…”“And I guess that’s why I’m calling,” MJ sighs, “because we need to get our stories straight before you meet Molly and Ezra tomorrow.”---An almost-identity reveal forces Peter to consider how his secrets affect MJ's other relationships.
Relationships: Michelle Jones/Peter Parker
Comments: 18
Kudos: 57





	Identity Crisis Averted

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jsscshvlr](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jsscshvlr/gifts).



> Happy birthday, Jess! I hope you enjoy this little identity crisis fic! <3

Peter begins his Friday night in the usual way—flying through the streets of New York, stopping muggings, preventing robberies, helping lost tourists find their destinations—the sort of Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man stuff that generally keeps him occupied well past midnight.

His ESU classmates are commemorating the end of midterm finals with a party, and he almost considered going, but he’d really rather have a lowkey celebration with his girlfriend tonight. He’s planned to head to her apartment as soon as things settle down in the city, and for once in his life, it seems luck has gifted a full night of relaxation—he’s run out of Spider-Man crises by 7pm. He swings the last few blocks to her place, envisioning a night of leftover pizza, microwave popcorn, and Netflix.

He sticks to the wall of her apartment building and climbs to her balcony with ease. He slides her bedroom window open, removing his mask as he steps through.

“Hey, MJ!” He calls out. “I’m here!”

“ _SPIDER-MAN??_ ”

Peter freezes. That tiny, excited voice does _not_ belong to MJ. He turns to see a small girl in PJs sitting on the bed, her hair in two braids and her mouth hanging wide open before it slowly lifts into a smile.

He smiles back cautiously.

“Hey…Ava?” He tries, hopefully remembering the name of MJ’s niece he’s heard about but never met. 

“ _Amara._ ” The girls says as she slides off the bed and runs up to him. “Are you the real Spider-Man??”

“I’m—no, no, I’m not—”

“Peter!”

MJ appears at the doorway, her eyes dangerously signaling him to stop talking. “How was the costume party?”

“Oh, the costume party was _great_ ,” he says, nodding big, “so many cool superhero outfits.”

“It’s not Halloween,” Amara says quizzically, “why did you have a dress-up party?”

“We…” Peter falters, his mind blank.

MJ walks over to Amara. “Peter’s friend loves superheroes, so they had a superhero costume party. Isn’t that cool?”

“ _So_ cool,” the girl says enthusiastically as she faces Peter. “I like superheroes, too, I’m gonna be Black Widow when I grow up.”

“Wow.” Peter exhales. “I bet you’ll be great at that.”

MJ crouches down to her niece’s level. “Hey Mari, why don’t you go pick out a show to watch before bed? You can start watching and I’ll join you in a sec.”

“Okay!” Amara runs out of the room and MJ shuts the door behind her before turning to face Peter with arms crossed.

“MJ, I—”

“ _What_ are you doing here?” She says quietly. “This is the worst timing you’ve ever had, and that’s saying a _lot_.”

“Your text said I could come tonight any time after 6!” He fumbles.

“I said _tomorrow_ after 6!” She hisses. “I thought you changed Karen’s protocol to read my texts twice.”

“I did,” he says sheepishly, “but she kind of read those to me while I was dodging punches, so I misheard I guess.” MJ’s arms are still crossed, and her dark expression hasn’t budged either. He ventures further a bit more carefully. “Do you babysit your niece often? You didn’t tell me she was going to be over this weekend…” 

“No I don’t, it was a last minute thing, my sister’s in town and they wanted a night out to—forget that, Peter, we have to deal with _this_ now.”

“I’m sorry, Em. Really, I’m sorry, but I—she totally bought it, right? I mean, it seemed like we had her there with the costume party thing.”

“Yes, I think she bought it, but Peter, you need to work on your superhero identity cover-up stories, because _that_ —” she gestures vaguely to the general area of the room where the scene had taken place—“was honestly pathetic.”

“Sorry.” He mumbles again. “I’ll head out, now. Tell Amara I said bye?”

There’s a knock at the door MJ’s leaning against before she can answer.

“Aunt Michelle?”

MJ opens the door to reveal Amara, cocooned in a huge blanket. “Yeah, Mari?”

“Is your boyfriend staying for a sleepover?”

“No,” MJ says, throwing a pointed look Peter’s way, “no, he’s not. This is girls’ night.”

“Oh.” Amara says. “Can he come play tomorrow then?”

Peter absolutely melts at the question, but he doesn’t dare make any outward signs of it until he hears MJ’s reply. She glances at him, her posture relaxing as the corners of her mouth turn up in the slightest. “Maybe.” She says. “But he has to leave now, so let’s go watch our show.” She directs Amara back through the hall to the living room, Peter trailing behind so he can exit through the door like a normal, just-came-back-from-a-costume-party type of human.

“Bye, Aunt Michelle’s boyfriend.” Amara waves over her shoulder as she shuffles along in her blanket cocoon.

“Bye, Amara.” Peter waves back. “My name’s Peter, by the way.”

“Okay, Spider-Man.” Is the tiny cocoon’s only reply as she situates herself on the couch. Peter’s eyes widen at this, but MJ just puts up her hand placatingly.

“She’s six.” She whispers. “She doesn’t really know, okay? Everything’s fine, I’ll handle this.” She kisses him lightly. “Bye. I’ll text you later.”

* * *

_Hey, loser. Can you come to lunch tomorrow to hang out with Amara and meet my sister and brother-in-law?_

_seriously? you really want that?_

_*I* don’t, but they’ve been desperate to meet you, and since they know you were here they’re jealous Amara got to before they did._

_how’d they know i was there? how much do they know?_

_Yeah we can’t do this over text, I’m calling you._

* * *

Peter answers the call the moment it comes up.

“Hey, Em.”

“Hey.”

“So listen, about earlier, I’m so sorry—”

“No, its okay, it was an honest mistake, don’t worry about it. It just…scared me in the moment, I guess.”

Peter relaxes. “Yeah, but it was my fault, and I didn’t even know what to do—you stepped in and saved me there.”

“Yeah,” MJ says, “and that’s fine, I can understand panicking in the moment and forgetting your excuses you’d usually have ready. I knew the situation better, which is why I could use one of mine.”

Peter doesn’t answer, lost in the concept that she has excuses just…at the ready?

“Peter?”

He clears his throat. “Yeah?”

“You good?”

“Yeah,” he lies, “I just—you have excuses for me that are just—ready to use?”

“Well, yeah, of course,” MJ replies, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “Different excuses or explanations for different situations and different people.” She pauses. “Don’t you?”

He doesn’t, but he’s sure she’s figured that herself by now. “I guess I’d just never thought to have them ready to go like that…”

“And I guess that’s why I’m calling,” MJ sighs, “because we need to get our stories straight before you meet Molly and Ezra tomorrow.”

“Yeah, Em, about that,” Peter lays back and puts a hand over his eyes, “do we really think that’s a good idea? Meeting them on such short notice when we have to get a story straight?”

“Look, I know it’s not ideal, but they were really insistent. Of course I had to text them to let them know you popped in unexpectedly and that Amara saw you, it wouldn’t be a good look to find out from their daughter that my boyfriend they haven’t met was around without their knowledge while I was babysitting.”

“Yeah, of course.”

“And they were already going to have lunch with me tomorrow, so they begged me to get you to come over and I said I’d do my best, and I just really, _really_ don’t want you to brush them off again because—because I want them to like you.”

Peter listens with a weight of guilt. In the two years he and MJ have dated, he’s missed a total of three family gatherings with Molly and Ezra he’d promised to attend. The absences were all for Spider-Man business of one sort or another. He’d never wanted to skip out, and he’d never wanted to hurt MJ over it, but it’s still happened—three times already. She’d been understanding, but she shouldn’t have to be.

“I’ll be there.” He says. “I promise. Just give me the game plan.”

* * *

Peter Benjamin Parker, notorious for being late even before a spider bite screwed up his entire life, arrives at MJ’s front door at 12:00 sharp.

The game plan is relatively simple. MJ had talked with Amara after Peter left last night and had (she hoped) successfully convinced her young niece that Peter was not actually Spider-Man, and that he’d come through the window because climbing a fire escape to get to your girlfriend was romantic. (Never mind that the fire escape doesn’t reach the window, because, gratefully, the six-year-old had not looked out to verify this explanation.)

Peter and MJ agreed that if Amara brings up the Spider-Man suit during lunch, they will tell Molly and Ezra that Peter likes attending Comic Con and had the suit specially made by an online costumer. They also workshopped an explanation for Peter’s entrance, but they hoped Amara won’t make it necessary. Beyond that, they’d decided that MJ will field questions whenever possible, since her practiced answers are likely to be more sellable than Peter’s on-the-fly excuses.

MJ answers the door not more than a few seconds after Peter knocks.

“Hey.” She says, pulling him inside with a smile and pressing a kiss to his lips. “Thanks for being on time.”

“Of course.”

She grabs his hand, beaming, and takes him to the living room where Molly and Ezra sit together.

“Molly, Ezra,” she says, “this is my boyfriend, Peter.”

“Hi, Peter!” Molly says brightly, standing to shake his hand. “It’s so nice to finally meet you!”

“You too.” Peter answers, shifting over to shake Ezra’s hand as well. “I’ve heard so much about you both.”

Amara jumps up from a hiding place behind the couch. “PETER!” She shouts, throwing her hands up and out in an attempted surprise-scare. He pretends to be shocked, both for her sake and for the grown-ups—he can’t show that his sixth sense alerted him she was there.

Amara giggles as she comes around the armrest.

“Food’s ready!” MJ calls from the kitchen, and everyone settles down to eat.

Peter’s thankful to find he’s almost immediately at ease with MJ’s sister and brother-in-law. They’re kind, laidback, and funny, and the first ten or so minutes of lunch go by without a hitch.

Then Amara interrupts a polite conversation between Peter and Ezra about Peter’s plans to attend graduate school with: “Aunt Michelle’s boyfriend has the coolest Spider-Man outfit I’ve ever seen.”

MJ’s eyes flicker toward Peter’s.

“Oh, Mari loves her superheroes.” Molly says with a smile. “Spider-Man’s costume must be hard to pull off. Can we see a picture?”

“I don’t have any on my new phone,” Peter says, trying to sound casual and not rushed or over-practiced, “it’s been a while since my last Comic Con. That’s usually when I wear the outfit.”

“But I saw it last night,” Amara says, “because he was at his friend’s superhero birthday party. And it looks _just_ like the real Spider-Man. _Just_ like him.”

“My pals go to Comic Con every year,” Ezra pipes in, “they spend a lot on their costumes. So are you Spider-Man every year, or do you alternate superheroes?”

“Well—” Peter begins, but he’s interrupted by Amara.

“Peter came to visit Aunt Michelle through the _window_.”

There’s a brief pause that feels like it lasts an hour.

“Really?” Molly asks. “How did you manage that?”

Peter’s heart races, but he works on keeping the red out of his face while he anticipates MJ’s prepared response.

“He thought it’d be cute to climb the fire escape to come see me.” MJ says with coy smile and shake of the head, flawlessly playing the role of a girl who’s happily fed up with her boyfriend’s romantic gestures. “Since he was dressed as Spider-Man for the night…” She trails off and looks down, feigning sheepishness.

Their mortifying plan to allude to Spider-Man-inspired sex has worked, as Molly doesn’t continue to ask questions and Ezra is looking down himself, seemingly suppressing a burst of laughter.

“Can I get a Spider-Man outfit, Mom?” Amara asks.

“We’ll see,” Molly replies, “but you’ll have to promise not to climb any fire escapes when you wear it, or there’s no chance.”

The rest of lunch moves along just fine, as do the next few hours of visiting. Peter tries to help clean the dishes with MJ, but she and Ezra banish him to the living room where Amara is asking him to play with her. In between navigating a complicated version of “The Floor is Lava,” he talks with Molly about his various interests and learns about her work as a journalist.

Peter’s sad when Molly, Ezra, and Amara have to say goodbye and leave. He’s hoping to debrief the afternoon with MJ, but a nearby robbery sends him out the door minutes after the family visit ends.

“Sorry, Em,” he says, “duty calls.”

“Are you still coming over tonight?” She asks hopefully.

“Absolutely.” He kisses her just before pulling on the mask.

* * *

Peter swings over to MJ’s a little after 9:00. Unlike last night, he texts her twice to let her know he’s ready to visit and doesn’t head for her apartment until she’s responded affirmatively.

He spends the journey over thinking about the identity crisis his carelessness has put them in. They’ve successfully dodged a catastrophe today, but it wasn’t fair that MJ had to do all the heavy lifting to save his ass. She’s right, he does need to work on his secret-keeping skills, and he shouldn’t lean on her for it as much as he has been. He should have his own list of explanations for different situations, and he’s going to let MJ know that he’s working on that.

He arrives at her window at 9:05 and drops into her bedroom. She’s sitting right where Amara was the night before.

“Hey!” She says, scooting over to make room for him. “I just got off the phone with Molly.”

“Oh yeah?” He tears off his mask as he sits. “What’s the consensus, did they like me?”

She’s smiling as she runs her hands over his hair. “They _loved_ you.”

“Mm.” He responds with a kiss, pulling her against him as she grasps the back of his neck. She breaks away sooner than he’s ready to, and he sees that she’s crying.

It stops him in his tracks completely. Between the two of them, _he’s_ usually the more emotional one—her tears are unexpected.

“Em,” he rubs a thumb up and down her shoulder, “are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” She says, wiping away a tear. “I’m great, actually.”

Peter balks. “Then why are you crying?”

“It’s just—I have to tell you that—I have to—” she looks at her lap—"they _know_.” Her eyes meet his again. “They figured it out.”

Peter’s stomach drops.

“Molly called me, Peter, and she said they love you, but she said she knows because she knows the fire escape doesn’t come to the apartment, and Amara’s discovery just solidified what she’s already suspected, because that night last year when you missed the family party because The Rhino attacked I was a mess seeing you on the news, and she…well she had other reasons, too, and she just said she didn’t want to lie to me by pretending not to know, and Ezra saw her double-check for a fire escape when they left today, so…yeah. They know.”

Peter’s shocked, but it quickly makes sense. Molly’s a journalist, after all, _and_ MJ’s sister—of course she’d share the observation and deduction skills that had led MJ to find him out years ago.

He should have been more careful. He should have been living more cautiously overall, but _especially_ last night. His promise to do better in the future and work on explanations for his disappearances and strange behaviors seems meaningless now, after his failures have already created this mess for her and the people she loves.

“Em, it’s okay.” He says, hoping he’ll believe his own words in a minute. “I’m so sorry, this is all my fault, but I’ll make sure they’re safe, I promise.” He takes her hands. “I promise you, I will do everything in my power to keep them safe, all three of them, and I know they won’t tell, and I know we can trust them, and it’s going to be okay, Em, Em _please_ stop crying.”

“I’m not sad, Peter.” She seems to collect herself a bit as she sits up straighter. “I’m sorry, but I’m so, _so_ happy.”

He’s stunned. “What?”

“They know. My people—my sister, and her husband, _my_ people—they know.”

“Y-yeah…” Peter says, unsure why this is cause for celebration. “Why does that make you happy, Em?”

She leans closer to him. “Your people have known for a while. May, Ned, Happy, your Avenger pals—you can share this huge part of your life with your people like it’s nothing, and you have for _years_.” She grabs a tissue from her nightstand. “But I couldn’t ever say anything to _my_ people. I had to keep your secret, and I want to, Peter, I do, I want to keep your identity safe, it’s just—I’ve felt like I’m lying to them. And for years you hadn’t even _met_ them, and I thought today, just you meeting them would be enough, and I was so desperate to keep Spider-Man under wraps because that’s what we _do_ , but as soon as Molly called me and told me she knew I was so relieved, I just felt—I just—I love that I don’t have to pretend with them anymore.”

Peter takes it all in, unsure what feeling is strongest at the moment—relief and joy at the look on her face, or guilt and frustration with himself for not considering how his secret identity impacts her relationships.

“I’m sorry, Em.” He says. “I didn’t know. I mean, you’ve always been on me about protecting my identity better, and about being less careless around friends and even your family, and last night—today, even, I thought—I didn’t know.” He finishes lamely.

“It’s okay,” she says, “I thought I wanted to keep the secrets, too. And I do—for the most part, I do, and I think we need to keep it a secret from everyone else in my family, don’t get me wrong, it’s just—” she laughs lightly—“well, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I’m glad of the dumbassery you pulled last night.”

“Then I’m glad, too.” He says, and they lay back against her pillows in a pile of mutual relief.

He’s still going to practice his explanations and excuses. He’ll still be more careful than he has been. She still deserves more from him when it comes to keeping the two of them safe by keeping the _secret_ safe.

But she also deserves this development. She deserves to talk to her sister about her relationship without side-stepping every other word, and she deserves to share more of her life with her people.

He thinks back on the last 24 hours and grins.

“Hey,” he turns to her after a moment, moving in close, “isn’t it cute that I came in through the fire escape in my Spider-Man costume party getup? A fun-romantic-sexy kind of cute?”

“Get your dumb ass in the shower,” she says, throwing a pillow at his face. “You smell.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading <3 
> 
> \---
> 
> Hang out with me on Tumblr if you want! @friendofspidermannedleeds


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